1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a conveyor system for lifting and orienting multi-diameter push-pull bottle caps and more particularly, to lifting and orienting multi-diameter push-pull bottle caps through a conveyor with a lower loading zone and a vertical lifting zone and a plurality of outlet chutes which are adjustable to the needs of the run.
2. Description of the Background Art
In the past, multi-diameter push-pull caps for container closures such as for ketchup and mustard or the like were oriented during feeding by changing the angle of an inclined cleated conveyor. This angular change caused incorrectly oriented caps to fall from the cleat and back into a hopper at a loading zone. Incorrectly oriented caps are considered to be those with the open side toward the conveyor belt. Correctly oriented caps are considered to be those having the open side away from the conveyor belt. The large variety of multi-diameter push-pull caps make the conventional cleat having a rectangular cross-section obsolete.
The present invention is an assembly for quickly changing cleats to accommodate the different individual push-pull caps needed to minimize down time in the food filling operation. The invention varies the angle on all cleated conveyor style cap orientors and feeders. The assembly can be installed on an existing inclined cleated conveyor type orientor to vary the angle. The rectangular cleat is incapable of correctly selecting and holding the push-pull cap on the belt thus resulting in frequent shut-downs of the food processing filling operation due to a shortage of correctly oriented multi-diameter push-pull caps ready to close a filled container. The increasing popularity of push-pull caps in food packaging operations has created a need for a cleat that can orient push-pull caps properly and convey the caps to an outlet chute for mating with a filled food container. A push-pull cap has a base having a larger diameter and a dispensing nozzle having a smaller diameter. Currently known cleats with a conventional rectangular cross section cannot orient push-pull caps effectively.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an improvement which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the push-pull cap orientation art.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved conveying system for lifting and orienting multi-diameter push-pull bottle caps comprising a conveyor belt which is formed of articulated sections and with guide rollers to support the belt with an upper lifting section having an essentially vertical path of travel and a lower loading section with an angled path of travel. Also included are sprockets on the guide rollers to effect movement of the belt in an upward path of travel through the lower section and then the upper section. Further included is a plurality of rods secured to the exterior surface of the conveyor belts. A plurality of cleats are fastened to the rods and have supporting surfaces which extend at right angles from the exterior surface of the conveyor belt for retaining push-pull bottle caps thereon in a proper orientation when the nose of the dispensing nozzle of the bottle cap is in contact with the conveyor belt and the larger diameter thereof is on a supporting tread of the cleats but to effect the dropping thereof when the bottle caps are not in the proper orientation. A source of pressurized fluid is adjusted adjacent to the upper extent of the upper section at one lateral side of the belt to pneumatically urge bottle caps to the opposite lateral side of the belt whereof a plurality of chutes selectively receive the pneumatically conveyed push-pull bottle caps while maintaining their proper orientation are situated. Also included is a supplemental sprocket in contact with the interior face of the conveyor belt in the lower extent of the upper section to form an outwardly directed bow in the belt and effect the removal, by gravity, of push-pull bottle caps not in the proper orientation. Further included are adjustment means to vary the extent of the bow as a function of the particular push-pull bottle cap being conveyed.
It is a further object of the invention to bow the lower end of a vertical conveyor to drop off improperly oriented caps.
It is a further object of the invention to vary the extent of a conveyor bow as a function of the push-pull caps being conveyed.
The foregoing has outlined some of the pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.